Once upon a Dream
by TheSilentWhiteRose
Summary: For One Brilliant, Shining Moment... His Dream Came True... AU. Puzzleshipping.
1. Prologue

_"You don't think anything like that can happen..."_

Prologue

The sound of sirens was heard as the blinking lights came into view and the ambulance screeched to a stop. The sound of feet pounding on the lobby's floor echoed as two paramedics took one look at the body surrounded in a pool of blood and dropped to their knees immediately setting to work to stabilize the victim. They tore away the white sweatshirt where the bleeding was taking place and applied a gauze to the wound.

"GSW to the right upper chest, no other injuries present." The first paramedic, a male, rattled off in quick succession placing an oxygen mask securely over the young victim's nose and mouth. "Pupils are fixed and dilated. Heartbeat is slow and has lost a lot of blood and is unconscious."

Within seconds the victim was fastened tightly to the board and they were lifting him out of the lobby to the gurney.

A few minutes later they were putting him in the back of the ambulance before slamming the doors shut and the male EMT patted the side to signal to the driver it was time to leave.

While on their way to the hospital, the male EMT lifted a pale slim arm and tried inserting a needle while another, a female, continued to perform CPR to keep the victim's blood circulating. Realizing the veins had collapsed because of the massive blood loss and low (or no) blood pressure, the young male medic cursed under his breath and said, "Liv I can't get anything! He's flat!"

The female, Liv, who had been doing CPR, quickly barked orders to the driver.

"Call the hospital! Tell them we have a shooting victim, early twenties! There's no line and we'll be there in 10 minutes!"

Suddenly, the machines hooked up to the young man started screaming and Liv's eyes widened before jumping into action.

"He's coding!" The male medic shouted up front while frantically working to help save the patient.

No one noticed a silver cartouche necklace slipped from a clenched fist just as a flat line traveled across the screen.


	2. Interlude

_Interlude_

 _ **"Tell me a story mommy."**_ I remembered I would always say when my mother would tuck me into bed.

 _ **"A story eh?"**_

 _ **"Yeah mommy a story!"**_

I remember the deep baritone chuckle of my father, who would laugh at my enthusiasm for a bedtime story and would ask me the same old question every bedtime _ **.**_

 _ **"Which story do you wanna hear?"**_

 _ **"You and mommy's!"**_ I would pipe up, and my mother would smile, knowing how much that story meant to her. _ **"Our story?"**_

 _ **"Yeah!"**_

My parents would both look at each other before smiling, and dad would clear his throat making me giggle, and begin to speak...

* * *

 ** _Los Angeles, California_**

 ** _February 1980_**

 _A 16-year-old Japanese boy with unruly black hair pulled out his schedule and decided to head to his locker first. He was new to this school and to this country so found it difficult to adjust to a new language, a new culture,_

 _A new life_

 _Suddenly, the sound of the bell ringing broke him out of his thoughts as he watched students hurriedly slam their lockers closed and bypass him to get to their classes._

 _He began to panicked on the inside._

 _'What did that bell mean? Is class starting? Am I late? But I'm lost! What the fuck! Why didn't these people give me a frickin' tour guide or something?!'_

 _He tried stopping someone to ask for directions but everyone either ignored him or bumped past him heading to their class._

 _He sighed in defeat, running a hand through his unruly hair and turned to look at the exit contemplating going back home. He sighed again before making his way to the exit when he felt warm fingers lightly touched his arm._

 _"Are you lost?"_

 _Turning around to see who had spoken to him, he came face to face with beautiful deep caramel brown orbs surrounded by long eyelashes, long auburn brown tresses that was pulled up into a pony tail and pouty pink lips that were curved up into an amused smile at his dazed look._

 _"Well?" they said with a playful look on their face._

 _Blinking dubiously, the young boy looked back down at his schedule then back up to the girl standing in front of him and stuttered, "O-Oh.. Uh.. I uh..."_

 _"Yesss?" she said slowly, trying not to laugh. She finds herself - reluctantly - intrigued by the stranger._

 _"I'm lost!" He finally blurted out and mentally face-palmed himself._

 _'Smooth genius.'_

 _"I kinda figured that," She said with a chuckle. "Let me see your schedule."_

 _He handed her the sheet of paper and looks down, feeling himself blush. The girl saw she had almost the exact same classes as the boy, and it secretly thrilled her._

 _She handed him back the slip of paper and said "Your locker is B36 so just go down this hallway then make a right and look for the locker with the number 36."_

 _The boy nodded showing that he understood. "Arigatō," he said, giving a small smile then mentally kicked himself for forgetting that he was in america and that the girl wouldn't know what Arigatō meant._

 _"Dōitashimashite," she smiled, and turned around heading in the direction of her class._

 _After getting over the initial shock of her speaking Japanese, he smiled and headed to his locker using her instructions. He found it was easy to open and quickly put some books in then headed off to his first period. He had made it to class as soon as the bell rang and after an embarrassing introduction to the class, took the closest seat he could find._

 _"I never got your name." A voice whispered beside him. He spun around, surprised to see the girl sitting in the desk beside him._

 _"Hiroshi Mutou," he said with a smile and she smiled back._

 _"Jade Miyagi."_

* * *

 ** _"It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship,"_** My mom would always say. ** _"One that had made them inseparable."_**

 ** _"That is,"_** dad said afterwards, ** _"till one game of truth or dare_** ** _changed that..."_**

* * *

 _Everyone sat in a circle in Jade's living room playing a spin the bottle version of truth or dare._

 _A boy with shaggy blonde hair and green eyes spins the bottle. Once it landed on Hiroshi, he groaned and the boy smirked._

 _"Truth or dare?"_

 _"Dare," he sighed._

 _"I dare you to…" the blonde began, a devious smile etched across his face. "kiss Jade!"_

 _Jade's eyes widened and she quickly tried to protest but felt lips capture her own in a deep, searing kiss._

 _In mid-game, the two excused themselves to talk privately in Jade's bedroom. Not knowing what to say to the other, the pair sat in silence for a few seconds before Hiroshi sighed and looked apologetically at Jade._

 _"Gomen'nasai, Jade."_

 _She was silent,_ _not even looking at him once_ _._

 _He swallowed once and continued to look at her. The truth was he wasn't sorry for kissing her._

 _He was in love with Jade. He knew that she would never look at him as anything other than her best friend so he kept quiet._

 _It wasn't that he was scared of rejection. Okay, he was really afraid that she would reject him. But he had grown tired of keeping his feelings a secret._

 _He grasped her hand, threading her dainty fingers with his own._

 _"I love you, Jade." He said and her eyes widened. "I have for a long time... but I was always afraid you would reject me."_

 _Jade looked at Hiroshi, placing a hand on his cheek as a single tear slid from beneath her eyelid._

 _"I love you too."_

 _They shared a night of unbridled passion, forgetting all about the sleepover._

 _A month had passed since the night Hiroshi and Jade confessed their love for one another and Jade was getting worried. She had been feeling sick and had finally decided to go to the doctor for a check up before she went home and found out some news. Once she got up to her room she turned on the t.v and curled up with her pillow watching a movie._

 _She must have fallen asleep because she woke up 5 hours later to Hiroshi sitting on her bed watching t.v. She looked at her alarm clock as she wiped her eye to focus and saw the clock read 4:15 p.m._

 _Hiroshi was surprised when he felt the bed dip. Looking over his shoulder he saw Jade yawn as she sat up against the headboard._

 _"Hey, how are you feeling?"_

 _She was silent for a moment. She hesitated, not knowing what to tell him._

 _"Jade?" he frowned w_ _hen she didn't answer his question._

 _"I'm pregnant."_

 _Instantly his heart skipped a beat. "What - what did you just say?"_

 _Jade took a deep breath and looked at her boyfriend. "We're going to have a baby, Hiroshi."_

 _After overcoming the initial shock that he was going to be a father, Hiroshi made himself a promise. No matter what happened in the future, even if things became too difficult, he would never leave Jade or his unborn child no matter what._

 _Sitting down with their parents and telling them they were going to have a baby at 16 and 17 was the hardest thing they had done so far. Hiroshi was really worried about what his father thought about the whole thing. He felt like he had let him down. As Jade told them she was pregnant, her mother's face turned white while her father sat in absolute disbelief and in denial before dismissing himself from the room. Hiroshi's father had surprisingly been the only one to accept the news calmly and supported the two teenagers._

 _On June 4th 1981, Hiroshi and Jade welcomed a beautiful baby boy. He was the most beautiful little thing they had ever seen, from the moment he was born he was all theirs and no one would ever take him away from them. Healthy as can be he cried his little lungs out. Once cleaned, he was wrapped in a blue blanket and handed to his parents who_ _smiled adoringly at their son._

 _Jade, though exhausted, smiled and looked at the bundle in her arms. She leaned forward and kissed her baby softly on the forehead._

 _"My little Yugi."_

* * *

 _ **"Although they had become parents at a young age, they didn't regret it."**_ My dad would say, stroking my cheek. _**"They knew they would give the world to their little boy and live happily, ever...after."**_

 _ **"Are they still happy daddy?"**_ I would ask and my dad would laugh, shaking his head.

 _ **"Yes Yugi,"**_ he would say in a soothing voice as my mother went to turn off the light. _ **"they are very happy."**_

 _ **"And you're never gonna leave, right daddy?"**_

 _ **"I'm never gonna leave you or your mother."**_

 _ **"Promise?"**_

 _ **"I promise..."**_

I will always remember that night and how he made a promise he couldn't keep.

Two days later my father was killed in a plane crash. The plane had crashed shortly after takeoff and all passengers, including my father, were killed in the accident. I was only four years old at the time.

Sometimes I would find myself lost in a room with images of my past staring back at me, and wonder what if.

But the past is what makes my present, even if the future is unknown.

And at four years old...

My story had just begun.

 _ **-Yugi Mutou, MTV interview 2004**_


	3. PART ONE: The Beginning- Chapter 1

Chapter 1. - One Ending is the Start of a New Beginning.

 _ **Domino City, Japan.**_

 _ **September, 1985**_

The cold autumn wind blew furiously against her already cold cheeks, deepening the crimson color that had graced her face the moment she stepped out of the airport doors. Deep caramel brown orbs skimmed quickly over the dozens of people moving past her to find a ride out of the overcrowded airport. She reached up and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear and looked at the small figure that was now looking around with wide curious eyes.

Those wide Amethyst eyes looked up at her with such innocence, as if to ask where they were going, but she only gave a lopsided smile and clasped her son's hand tight in her own until a familiar voice called out to her.

"Jade!"

Jade's eyes shifted to the source of the voice and felt her child's hand let go of her own, watching as he took off running in the direction of a man wearing a brown suit and Pandora hat.

"Jii-chan!"

Immediately dropping down to one knee, the middle-aged man flung his arms open-wide as his grandson crashed into him, tiny arms wrapped around him squeezing the life out of him while he chuckled.

"Hello my boy."

Scooping the boy up into his arms, he settled his small body against his hip and looked over at the young woman he considered a daughter.

Jade gave a soft smile and embraced her father-in-law into a hug. "How are you?" he asked lowly, pulling back to take a good look at her appearance. He knew she was still hurting, a blind man could tell. She had tried so hard to be strong during her grieving period, but he could see that it physically took a toll on her.

"I've been better, Sugoroku." She mumbled in a soft tone as he leaned down and picked up her suitcase while she pulled the handle of the second suitcase up and began to roll it following him out the exit heading towards a green Honda Civic.

Sugoroku placed his grandson down and opened the trunk up, carefully placing the two suitcases in before shutting it closed. After securing the little boy in his car seat and clicking her seat belt into place, Sugoroku was backing out and driving down the street.

The car ride to Sugoroku's home was quiet except for the radio playing the latest pop music. The little boy's gaze fell onto the busy streets of Domino, people scurried on the side walks, cars upon cars beeped and roared trying to break through the traffic and the autumn wind was visible in the streets. The city looked so different compared to where he and his parents had lived in america. He and his mother would be adjusting to a whole new life, a new culture, new food, new friends...

Friends...

Something he's always wanted but never had.

He frowned at the thought but soon shook his head as he realized this could be a chance at making a new friend. He leaned back against his car seat and smiled his first genuine smile since landing in Domino city, Japan. All too soon his eyelids became heavy, starting to droop closed involuntarily and before he knew it he let sleep consume him.

The jerking of the car coming to a stop pulled the 4-year-old out of his sleepy state. Opening his eyes, he rubbed them with the balls of his fist as he let out a small yawn. Blinking, he looked around in confusion then looked over at his grandfather who had a small smile on his face while his mother proceeded to get out and get the suitcases out.

"We're here, Yugi." Sugoroku said and stepped out. He opened the backseat door and unbuckled his grandson from his car seat, scooping him up into his arms before shutting the door closed and locked his car. He walked to the front door, with Jade following behind, and pulled out a set of keys. Finding the appropriate one and slipping it into the lock, he unlocked the door and gestured Jade to step inside with the suitcases.

Yugi's wide eyes scanned the display cases filled with knick-knacks and toys & wooden shelves filled with board games and puzzles in awe. Seeing his awed expression, Sugoroku chuckled and put Yugi down, taking the 4-year-old's hand and led him to the display case. "Do you like games, my boy?" he asked, and Yugi's face lit up with joy and excitement, nodding vigorously.

"How about when we finish unpacking your things in your new room, I let you come down here to the shop and pick any game you and I can play. Would you like that, kiddo?"

Amethyst eyes sparkled in excitement. "Oh yes, jii-chan!" he practically shouted and ran towards his mother, bouncing in excitement. "Mommy! Mommy! Did you hear? Jii-chan said I could pick a game to play from the shop!"

Jade smiled at her son and kneeled down to his level. "I heard sweetheart," she said as she ran her hand through his soft tri-colored hair. "Let's get you settled into your new room so you can play, ne?"

Yugi grinned, liking the sound of that. He loved games and was excited to play with his grandpa. "OK mommy." he said.

She took him by the hand and led him upstairs to the living quarters above the shop. When they reached the top of the stairs, both looked around the new place they would call home. There was a dining room off to the left that led to the kitchen and a nice furnished living room to the right with a stairway leading to the bathroom half-way down the hall and two nice bedrooms on each side followed by an extra two at the end.

"Come on you two. We have a lot of unpacking to do if you want to be able to finish in time to play a game, Yugi." Sugoroku said, pausing at the top of the stairs as he sat the two suitcases next to him. Nodding enthusiastically, Yugi grabbed his mother's hand and with a gentle tug, pulled her towards the second staircase. "Come on mom!"

Jade chuckled at her son's enthusiasm and picked him up in her arms, climbing up the stairs. Sugoroku lead her down the hallway and finally stopped in front of a door. He turned the knob, pushing the door open to reveal a spacious bedroom with cardboard boxes filled with toys and children's books that had been shipped and delivered a week before.

It had taken Sugoroku and Yugi a good two hours before they had finished unpacking and after Sugoroku had finished making Yugi's bed, he helped his grandson arrange his toys and books onto the shelves.

"Yugi! Sugoroku! Come down for lunch!" Jade yelled from downstairs.

They raced down the stairs before Sugoroku scooped a giggling Yugi up in surprise and headed into the kitchen to see that Jade had prepared Miso Noodle Soup for them all.

Jade shook her head at their silliness and walked back into the kitchen, heading to the stove to fix everyone a bowl.

* * *

With lunch done and Yugi's room unpacked, Sugoroku had taken his grandson back down to the shop as promised. The little 4-year-old had been ecstatic and ended up picking Shogi, also known as Japanese chess for the two of them to play.

His grandpa was referred to as a gaming master and had many times, when visiting Yugi in america, taught his grandson new and interesting strategic games. Now at 4 years old, Yugi was beginning to become good at games, riddles, and puzzles.

Yugi moved his Knight forward, grinning. "Checkmate! I win Jii-chan!"

"That you did, Kiddo." Sugoroku smiled and chuckled. "You actually managed to beat me three games out of four. "

Unbeknownst to the him and Yugi, Jade came downstairs and had stood near the bottom of the stairs for a moment watching the two play. She couldn't help but smile fondly as she watched her son exclaimed through a toothy grin "I'm gonna be the King of Games!" to his grandpa who reached down and ruffled his spiky tri-colored hair in amusement.

Yugi laughed, his voice full of childlike innocence. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw his mother enter the shop with an amused smile on her face. He hopped down from the stool and ran up to her, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Mommy! Mommy! I beat Jii-chan!" Yugi exclaimed excitedly.

"You did?" She asked with a mock-surprised expression and Sugoroku chuckled at her antics.

"I still think he cheated." Sugoroku said with a mocked glare and huffed playfully at his grandson.

"Nah uh, Jii-chan! I won fair and square! I'm the new King of Games and you're just jealous!" Yugi declared proudly and stuck his tongue out at him.

"That was all luck," Sugoroku said and stuck his tongue out childishly.

"No. I'm gonna be the best! Even better than you jii-chan! Right mommy?"

Scooping him up into her arms, she tickled his belly making him squeal in laughter and said "You can be anything you wanna be sweetheart."

"Anything?" He asked, looking up into his mother's caramel brown eyes.

"Anything." She said poking her son on the nose causing him to giggle.

* * *

"Again! Again!" Yugi shouted as Sugoroku and Jade both held his hand while they walked with him to the playground and swung him by his arms. He laughed and giggled asking for more then released their hand once they reached the park and took off to go play like the other children. The little 4-year-old sat on one of the swings situated on the outskirts of the small playground and looked around. He watched the other children forlornly, wishing he could play with someone, but was too afraid that he wouldn't be invited to play with any of them even if he asked them. He was shy after all, and a bit too small for his age. He kicked his legs back and forth, not even close to reaching the dusty ground below.

The swing swung softly, squeaking in protest at every small movement it made. It was an old swing, and rust had taken the place of the original paint coat sometime ago, but Yugi liked it all the same. Besides, none of the other kids wanted to play on the swings, so he had them all to himself.

He watched a little boy with shaggy blonde hair kick a ball at a little girl who looked to be a year or two younger. The ball was bright red, the same color as the fire truck he had gotten last Christmas from his parents. The rubber was still shining and looked as if it was brand new.

He continued to watch the two children play, wondering if not for the first time how it would be like if he had a friend of his own. Someone who liked games as much as he did. Someone to play and laugh and joke around with. He had secretly hoped that he would be able to gain at least one friend since moving here, but sadly he wasn't about to get his hopes up.

The 4-year-old was brought out of his inner-thoughts as a ball flew past his face, missing him by mere inches. Yugi startled, jerked so far back that he lost his balance on the swing-seat and fell to the ground. He yelped, sucking in a sharp breath, and lay there for a few seconds, gasping as the air had been knocked out of his lungs. He heard the crunch of feet on the bits of gravel approach him and slowly sat up, wincing at the stinging on his hand from the scrape he had gotten on it.

"Hey kid! You ok? Sorry 'bout that. Must've kicked it a lil' too hard," a voice said from beside him. He looked up to see the same shaggy blonde-haired boy he saw earlier crouched down beside him in concern. The boy extended a hand and helped him up when Yugi winced again at the sting to his hand. The boy's brow furrowed and his honey-brown eyes flicked down to Yugi's hand before widening. "Aw man! Did I do that ta ya? I'm real sorry. I swear it was a accident!" he rambled, stricken with panic.

"It's ok." Yugi assured the boy. "It doesn't hurt too bad, it just stings a little."

"Ya sure? Should I go get my mom? Cause she-"

"No, no." He said with a shake of his head and giggled. "I'm fine, really."

"Well ok... if ya say so." The boy didn't look entirely convinced, but settled for his reassurance and smiled nonetheless. "Im Katsuya by the way." He continued, extending his hand out to shake. "Jōnouchi Katsuya, but everyone calls me Jou."

"I'm Yugi Mutou," Yugi smiled, shaking his hand in response. Jou stared at him, then tilted his head at him curiously.

"Are yous new here or somethin'?" he asked. "'Cause I ain't ever seen you 'round here before."

"Yea, I am." Yugi said shyly, his eyes spotting Jou's ball a few feet from the swing set. "My mommy and I just moved here to live with my Jii-chan," he continued before running towards the ball and picked it up, feeling the smooth surface under his small hands.

Jou ran up beside him and he handed the ball back to the blonde. "Oh, ok." Jou said and bounced the ball as they walked. "Where'd ya move from?"

"California. That's in America."

"Cool!"Jou said, grinning. "Hey! You wanna play with me and my sister?" he asked, pointing to a small girl playing in the sandbox not too far from where they were walking.

Yugi's eyes brightened even more if that were possible, and smiled a toothy grin. "Hai!" he said, and they took off running towards the sandbox. He couldn't have been more happier that his wish had come true.

He had gain his first friend.


	4. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yugi will be between 6-7 years of age in this chapter. According to the research I did online, children who have their 6th birthday on or before April 1 enter the first grade of elementary school of that year and the school year starts in April in Japan. Yugi is already six. Since his birthday is June 4 he will turn 7 while still in the first grade just to clarify anything.**

 **I do not own the quotes below or You Are My Love by Yui Makino [tsubasa chronicles ]**

* * *

 _"One day I caught him singing. Really surprised me, and I said wow! Being that I loved music in my youth, and when I found out he could sing-I guess, I don't know, mentally I saw a way back to the world of music, to my dreams, through him."_

 _ **\- Sugoroku Mutou, Biography Episode: "Yugi Mutou" 2006.**_

 _"Sugoroku Mutou fell in love with his grandson's ability to sing. I mean it's legendary- he's told it a million times and I wrote about it, umm, the very first time he caught him singing in his room and he noticed his pitch. And it was perfect. And in so many ways, I think he embodied all the things he wanted to be."_

 ** _-Dana Williams, People Magazine Correspondent._**

* * *

Chapter 2. - Discover

 **1988.**

Six-year-old Mutou Yugi was starting his first day in the first grade. He unpacked his backpack and took out a violet-colored notebook and his orange pencil case. With a smile, he hung his backpack at the rack located at the back of the classroom and advanced to sit down on the carpet with the rest of his classmates.

Their teacher was a very kind looking woman with chocolate brown hair and amber-colored eyes.

Yugi, feeling a little anxious, took his time and arrived later than the other children. Spotting his best friend Jou already sitting next to a red-haired boy, the blonde looked apologetically in his little friend's eyes while Yugi gave him a lopsided smile in return. He sighed dejectedly, and walked over to the only spot left on the carpet, next to a boy with platinum-blonde hair and pale-lavender eyes. He sat down, turned to him shyly and flashed a small smile. The boy, however, gave him an angry look and scooted as far as he could from him.

"Ohayō, kodomo-tachi,"[ **Good morning, children** ] the woman said.

"Ohayō gozaimasu!"[ **Good morning!** ] everyone replied.

"My name is Narumi-sensei, and I will be your teacher for this year."

"Kon'nichiwa, Narumi sensei," [ **Hello, Narumi-sensei** ] everyone greeted her.

"Now, how about everyone find partners and sit at a desk?" Narumi suggested.

The desks were split into groups of two lining up into rows. Everyone had seemed to divide themselves up into twos and sat down. Yugi saw a brown-haired girl had sat down next to Jou and frowned. Great, his only friend already had a partner. He looked around and saw that basically everyone had a partner except him. He bit his bottom lip and glanced at the boy next to him. He didn't seem to move at all. In fact, he didn't even seem to pay attention to the teacher.

Hesitantly, Yugi tapped him on his shoulder and managed a weak smile. "H-Hey, do you want to be my partner?" he asked, hoping that he wouldn't mind.

The boy lifted his head and glared at him. "No."

Taken aback by the boy's glare, he frowned.

"Please?" he asked desperately. The boy gave him a look that showed that he was obviously annoyed by him. "la tadhhab baeida." [ **No. Go away.** ] He thought that he looked desperate and pitiful. It disgusted him. He walked over to an empty desk near the window, sat down, and stared blankly out the clear glass window.

Yugi furrowed his brows in confusion. He didn't even understand what the boy had just said!

He looked around the classroom and bit his bottom lip once again. Narumi saw this and walked over to the little 6-year-old.

"Nani ka mondaina no?" [ **Is something the matter, honey**?] she asked as she squatted down to his level and looked into his big Amethyst eyes.

"I-I don't have a partner," Yugi mumbled, his eyes trailing over to the boy and flinched when his glare landed on him.

Narumi quickly scanned the room and spotted an available seat beside a boy with platinum-blonde hair, sitting by himself. She escorted a timid Yugi, who quickly averted his eyes and stared down at the floor.

"Why don't you sit next to him? He looks lonely," she commented and smiled adoringly at the little 6-year-old's shyness.

The boy continued to glare at him as Yugi took a place hiding behind Narumi's leg, peering to the boy behind his teacher. Slowly, he stepped forward tentatively and sat down next to him, shivering from his glares.

"You two get along now." Narumi said, patting him on the head then left to deal with another group of children who were bickering over who gets to sit at which desk.

"I told you that I don't want a partner." the boy hissed, "Especially if it's you."

"G-Gomen'nasai," he replied, unsure of what to say. The boy scoffed and looked away, rolling his eyes.

Yugi felt uneasy for the rest of the day.

* * *

The second day was not that different from the first. Well, in Yugi's aspect, it was slightly better. The boy had not bothered him nor did he even talk at all. He just sat there, alone.

The class was given a free time and Yugi, along with Jou, had been invited by another group of kids to play Simon Says.

He glanced at the boy still seated across the desk from them and frowned. Swallowing hard, he mustered up the courage to walk back over to his desk and managed a crooked smile. "H-Hey. Do you want to join in?" he asked him.

"No," he replied, saying his favorite word. "How about you leave me alone and I'll do the same?"

His smile fell, and he scuffed his foot against the floor, but made no move to leave. He gazed at the floor and bit his lip, debating whether to walk away or try asking the boy to play again. He must have been a very antisocial person he concluded as his frown deepened.

Noticing Yugi's frown, the boy sighed in annoyance then stood up. "If I come play then will you leave me alone?" He asked irritably, and Yugi's head snapped up, his eyes wide. "Well, don't look so surprised!" the boy snapped. "You did ask me to play, didn't you?"

Yugi, still a bit intimated by the boy, nodded vigorously.

"Well come on, then!" he said, and trudged over to where the group of kids were.

Yugi was shocked. The boy had actually agreed to play with him and the other kids! He felt happy at this little accomplishment.

"C'mon Yuge! Ya're holdin' up the game here!" Jou's voice snapped him from his thoughts.

He smiled and strolled back over to join his friend and the group of kids. Perhaps there was hope in them becoming friends after all.

* * *

Cold. Stubborn. Stand-offish. Those were his first impressions of Malik Ishtar.

Not much had changed between them apart from the fact that he had learned his name and that he moved to Japan with his older sister and adoptive brother from Asyut, in Egypt. He had shared little about his homeland and his life in Asyut before moving to Domino, choosing instead to talk about his likes and dislikes. He admitted to being bilingual, like Yugi, and not long after that, taught him Arabic once every week.

Though Malik never allowed himself to let down his guard, gradually he started to feel more and more relaxed and at ease around Yugi and even Jou. He enjoyed the pair's company, and their kindness, he realized, were a sincere offer of friendship which he humbly accepted.

Yugi himself was making more and more friends as the months went by. There was something about him, maybe his cheeriness or his willingness to see others happy, that attracted people. Nonetheless, he had finally found a loyal and inseparable friendship in Jou and Malik, and he couldn't have been more happier.

.xx.

"So did ya guys hear 'bout the talent show the school's doin' in two weeks?" Jou asked, a look of deep concentration on his face.

"Before you ask me what I'm doing for the talent show, don't. I don't care about stupid stuff like that." Malik commented, watching a game of Poker between Yugi and Jou. It was an interesting american card game that the 7-year-old had been teaching Jou these past couple of weeks.

"Aww c'mon Malik, it could be fun. Who knows, ya might be good at somethin' other than bitin' people's heads off."

Malik rolled his eyes.

"What 'bout ya Yuge? Ya gonna enter the talent show?" the blonde asked.

Yugi slapped down a royal flush. "I don't think so Jou. I don't really have much of a talent to enter."

Jou groaned and threw his cards down in frustration. "I fold."

"If you fold, I win." Yugi warned him.

He huffed and sighed. "You always win, Yuge." Yugi just shrugged and started shuffling the cards.

"And whaddya mean ya ain't got no talent? I'm sure ya gotta talent ya don't even know 'bout and it could be discovered!" Jou exclaimed optimistically, watching with curiosity as the cards stacked one on top of another like a sandwich. Suddenly, his eyes widened as an idea came to him.

"Hey, I know! Why dontcha do some magic tricks for the talent show? I think that'd be easy 'nough for ya!"

"Magic Jou? Seriously?" Mallik interjected. "That's such a stupid idea for a talent show." He continued, ignoring the blonde who glared at him for calling his idea stupid.

"Oh yea? Well what's ya idea then mister-know-it-all?"

"Anything is better than silly magic tricks." Malik said, rolling his eyes. "I-"

"Guys," Yugi said, cutting him off. "I really appreciate your input on this, but I'm just not going to do the talent show."

"But Yuge-"

"How about I teach you guys a new card game my grandpa taught me," Yugi replied cheerfully, ending the conversation rather abruptly.

Jou's frown deepened. He turned to Malik who turned back to him and gave a quizzical shrug in response. What was that about?

.xx.

Tapping his pencil on his lip, Yugi huffed. This was the third time this week he could not understand the assignment given in Math and he hated it. He wanted to be able to figure the answers out on his own instead of going to his grandpa or mom for help, but it was proving a futile task at hand. He groaned and threw his pencil down in frustration. He sighed and stood up, going over to his bed and pulled out a notebook from underneath his pillow. He only writes in it when he has dreams so the book is filled with them. He grabbed a pen on his nightstand and began to write.

 _He was walking down a long empty corridor, his boots clicking against the concrete floor. He was dressed in a blue jacket and a pair of blue leather pants. The rumble of a crowd was building. There's a pause as he looks back at someone and smiles, then walks through a set of doors._

 _There was a scattering of cheers and clapping. He could hear his name being called and a roar of applause echoed around him. But he looked different. He noticed how much older and more mature he looked._

 _And **taller**._

 _He smiled brightly and waved. Looking around the arena, it filled him with a strange feeling of warmth and peace._

Then he woke up.

He had no clue what this reoccurring dream meant or was supposed to mean, but it had given him some inspiration to write.

Ink flowed over the paper in the form of words, and the words never stopped flowing as he started humming a tune to himself.

* * *

Sugoroku walked in after a long day, and laid his car keys down on the dining room table. He huffed out a long sigh, and started to take off his jacket and Pandora hat as he climbed the stairs intent on taking a nice hot bath. Then he heard a sound, a faint tune coming from the hallway. Curious, he padded down the hall over to the doorway of his grandson's room, his footsteps faltering as he could now make out the soft angelic voice of Yugi singing.

 _ame ni nureta hoho wa_

 _namida no nioi ga shita_

 _yasashii manazashi no_

 _tabibito_

 _.xx._

Sugoroku was shocked!

 _shizuka ni hibiiteru_

 _natsukashii ongaku_

 _omoidasenai kioku_

 _samayou_

.xx.

He listened so closely to every word, Yugi's voice drugging, like a hypnotist and it astounded him.

 _yume wa tobitatsu no chiisana tsubasa de_

He was mesmerized by the 7-year-old's uncanny ability to sing and make each word flow like a good book, one you can read over and over again, almost as if it could transcend into a physical expression.

 _omoi no kienai basho made_

 _futari de_

 _tooi umi wo sora wo koete_

...xx...

The pitch of his voice, low and enchanting, stroked his heartstrings with undying tenderness and entered his ears as nothing more than a lovely, hypnotic ebb and flow of melodic tones and reverberations. He found himself basking in a triggered nostalgia, smiling inwardly at once upon a dreams long forgotten, yet have miraculously resurrected at this defining moment.

 _kurai yoru no naka de_

 _watashi wo terashiteru_

 _yasashii manazashi no_

 _anata ni_

 _... ..._

 _aitai..._

.xx.

Placing the pen and his notebook down, Yugi got up from the bed and proceeded to go back to finishing his homework, only to stop the instant he saw his grandfather standing in his doorway.

"Sugoi!" [ **Wow!** ]

* * *

 _ **You Are My Love [English Translation]**_

 _ **The faint scent of tears**_

 _ **On my rain soaked cheeks**_

 _ **The warm look on the face**_

 _ **Of travelers**_

 _ **The music from my childhood**_

 _ **Faintly echoes in the background**_

 _ **The memories I hopelessly try to remember**_

 _ **Wander aimlessly**_

 _ **But with these tiny wings, launched by my dreams**_

 _ **Over distant oceans and skies**_

 _ **We'll soar together**_

 _ **To a place where memories never fade**_

 _ **You light up the way for me**_

 _ **In the darkness of night**_

 _ **Oh, that warm look**_

 _ **On your face**_

 _ **I miss you so much...**_


End file.
